Review: Elite

Title: Elite
Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Release Date: July 9, 2013
Format: eGalley

For Tracey Rooks, life with her grandparents on a Wyoming farm has always been simple. But after her grandmother’s death, Tracey is all her grandfather has. So when Eagle Elite University announces its annual scholarship lottery, Tracey jumps at the opportunity to secure their future and enters. She isn’t expecting much-but then she wins. And life as she knows it will never be same . . .
The students at Eagle Elite are unlike any she’s ever met . . . and they refuse to make things easy for her. There’s Nixon, gorgeous, irresistible, and leader of a group that everyone fears: The Elect. Their rules are simple. 1. Do not touch The Elect. 2. Do not look at The Elect. 3. Do not speak to The Elect. No matter how hard she tries to stay away, The Elect are always around her and it isn’t long until she finds out the reason why they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer. She just didn’t realize she was the enemy — until it was too late.—via Goodreads

So here’s the deal.

Elite is a lot of fun.

It’s not the greatest writing you’ll ever encounter nor does it have the most mind-blowing plot twists, but it is a really good time.

There are some things about this that irked me—mostly the old plot device of everyone withholding information from the main character in order to “protect” her. But you’ve heard that all before from me.

I won’t bore you again.  Mostly so that I don’t sound like a broken record who is telling authors to get off her lawn.

I would very much like for authors to be on my lawn.

Not literally. I’d probably get a ticket from the city for something like that. (My city is really into giving out tickets.)

Anyway, Elite is fun! There’s a private college with designer clad, sycophantic, perhaps psychotic students! A girl who is from Wyoming and sometimes moos at people! Mysterious intrigue! VIOLENCE!

It’s a perfect, pulpy read for a lazy afternoon or that random weekend night you find yourself without plans. It’s fast-paced, very entertaining, and you can definitely knock it out in one sitting.

So if you’re looking for something that is fun, a bit mindless, but also engrossing, and you don’t mind if your characters are brooding, rich, and packing heat (by that I mean guns. Not some obscure penis reference.), then Elite will definitely fit the bill.